The 17th edition of the annual Six Nations rugby union championship, which kicks off on the 6th of February and finishes on the 19th of March, will see England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales battling it out for the prestigious title. The eternal city will host England on the 14th of February and Scotland on the 27th of February, both games to be held and enjoyed at the glorious Stadio Olympico.

During the course of the 15 match tournament, the other three Italian games see Italy take on France in Paris on the 6th of February, Ireland in Dublin on the 12th of March, and Wales in Cardiff on the 19th of March.

All teams will be attempting to snatch the prestigious cup from reigning champions Ireland and avoid being handed the dreaded wooden spoon (a figurative spoon given to the team placed last at the end of the tournament) which last year was surprisingly awarded to Scotland and not Italy!

All of the games are being played in Rome and will take place at Stadio Olimpico, which is the home of the A.S. Roma and S.S. Lazio football clubs. With football games played every week you can always go to a football match in Rome, but this February and March you can experience probably the closest thing to a modern brutal gladiator showdown, minus the blood guts and lions of course! 

Each year rugby becomes more popular in Italy, I can personally vouch for this - having attended all the games over the past two years, this year was the first time tickets were sold out in certain areas of the stadium, despite a slight rise in price in respect of other years. (The tickets are still much cheaper in comparison to prices of games in the Uk) 

The rise in popularity is also probably due to the relaxed and fun atmosphere of the rugby games, all the fans of both teams sit together in the 73,000 capacity of the Stadio, chanting, drinking beer and enjoying the wonderful setting and atmosphere of the games.

Thousands of English and Scottish fans are expected to descend on the Italian capital this month, unsurprising given the fact they could also factor in a visit to the city's most famous sites during the their trip. Aside from the most beautiful setting (I'm biased obviously) the city offers one of the best weathers and climates for the matches, a short respite for the fans from the freezing cold stands of Twickenham or Murrayfield.

The fun doesn't stop at the blow of the final whistle as after the games ‘terzo tempo’ or the ‘third half’ commences, which is essentially an open air party outside the stadium where fans can celebrate or commiserate with a pint of Peroni. Weather depending, it has been quite fun most years I have attended, with music,  silly party games and performances entertaining the crowd. 

For those unable to get tickets (unlikely as they are still on sale) or if you can't make the stadium, you can find the games shown at many of the city’s bars and pubs, (Scholars Lounge, Druids Rock, The Shamrock, Finnegans, The Fiddlers elbow, The Highlander and the Abbey theatre pub) which guarantee a lively atmosphere of locals and fans, during and after the game. After the games the visiting fans and locals pour into these bars and pubs often to continue the celebrations.

How to get to the stadium? 

The stadium is located around 4 miles north of the city. To get there by public transport is relatively easy, but can obviously get very busy due to the amount of people heading in the same direction. Depending on where you are located, I would recommend leaving 1.5-2 hours in advance, there are bars outside the stadium where you can sit, eat, drink and relax before the game. 

There are two ways to reach the stadium from the central Termini train station. 

Metro - Take Metro line A, the red line, in the direction of Battistini, get off at stop Flaminio located in the centre, just next to Piazza Del Popolo. From Flaminio you can then take Tram number 2, the only tram from Piazzale Flaminio in the direction of Mancini and get off at the last stop Mancini. 

Bus - You can also take bus 910 which leaves from Piazza del Cinquecento which is the main bus station in front of termini station. The bus will take you directly to Piazza Mancini. 

Both options leave you in Piazza Mancini where you can then follow the crowd of fans over the river where the site of the imposing stadium will meet you. 

If you are in a group, a taxi could be a cheap, viable option costing around 20 euros from the centre, traffic depending, which there is guaranteed to be a lot of. 

Tickets are still available and can be bought online here, the websites also includes a list of sale points which include La Feltrinelli and Media World. 

All information can be found here on the official 6 nations website. 

See you in the stadium!